Without You
by Kiki102
Summary: Everyone has secrets. Mac and Stella's are about to be tested to the limit. What happens when a quest for revenge becomes personal. Vaguely AU.
1. Missing

She needed a caffeine fix and she needed it now. So pity the person who beat her to the counter of Starbucks, because at this moment, she was not responsible for her actions. While she waited for the barista - who seemed to be moving at a snail's pace - to make her coffee, Stella massaged her temples wishing it was quieter in here. Making a career change was never easy, she'd known it would be hard and there would be days like this, but who knew teaching could be so difficult? And these were university students. How on earth did secondary school teachers cope with hundreds of teenagers? They had her sympathy, each and every one of them.

"Here you go, black with an extra shot of espresso."

"Thanks." Stella gulped down the hot liquid, ignoring how it burned her tongue. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she turned, about to walk out, and almost ran straight into someone.

"Sorry," they apologised at the same time before realising who they were talking to.

"Stella?"

"Mac?" She couldn't believe it. Of all the people to run into now, of all the people in this city, when she really had to go, it had to be him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I, uh, moved back about two weeks ago," she replied, smiling despite herself. "I'm working at NYU, forensics lecturer. And you?"

"I was just checking something at a crime scene, decided to stop in on my way back to the lab," he explained. "NYU? Congratulations."

"Thanks. Well, I decided I wanted a change of pace, a job that wouldn't take up my every waking moment and thoughts and give me time for other things in life. So I started looking around then NYU offered me the job. I felt like coming back to New York so here I am."

"What do you think of teaching so far?"

"Well, it's my third day and I can honestly say that being supervisor was probably less stressful," she replied with a laughing, glancing at the clock at the same time.

"Not as easy as it looks, huh?" Mac smiled.

"Definitely," Stella agreed. "Mac, I'm really sorry but I have to go. I'm already running late and I have to meet someone."

"No problem, we can catch up another time."

Stella hated the feeling in her gut as she walked away from Mac. _Or ran_ a voice in her head taunted. _Again_. New York decided to make her even later; there was a traffic collision which resulted in a three block detour. As soon as she pulled up she was out of the car and jogging up the front steps, flashing a smile at the receptionist and into Los Ninos Daycare.

"Hi," she said breathlessly. "Is Kenzie ready?"

"Sorry?" Karen, the owner, frowned.

"Is Kenzie ready to go?" Stella asked.

"Ms Bonasera, Mackenzie was picked up by her uncle earlier."

"That's impossible, she doesn't have an uncle," Stella shook her head, her imagination already beginning to run away.

"Well, she didn't kick up a fuss and he had ID and everything," Karen shrugged.

"You let my daughter leave with a stranger?"

"Ms Bonasera-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Stella snapped, turning on her heel and trying to ignore the feeling of panic rising in her chest. Before she'd even reached the door, her cell phone was in her hand, calling 911. But as she stood on the steps, staring at the city, tears began to prick at the corner of her eyes.

"Hello 911, what is your emergency? Hello?"

Stella hung up and dialled the number she could still recite by heart.

"Flack."

"It's Stella, I have a problem, can you meet me outside Los Ninos Daycare?" she asked, trying to keep her voice sounding vaguely normal.

"What's wrong?"

"I'll, I'll explain when you get here... just, just don't be long... Please."

While she waited, Stella sat in her car, head resting on the steering wheel as she sobbed quietly. Hearing a siren pull up behind her, Stella quickly ran her fingers under her eyes, making sure she had no mascara running down her face, and stepped out of the car.

"Stella, what's happened?" Flack asked.

"I think my daughter's been kidnapped," she blurted out.

"Wow, okay, start at the beginning," Flack said, putting his hands on her shoulders. He doubted he'd ever seen Stella like this before. She was practically hysterical. And since when did she have a daughter?

"I was running late and when I arrived to pick up my daughter, the staff said that her uncle picked her up," Stella explained. "But she doesn't have any uncles on either side."

"What about her father?"

"He doesn't even know I have a daughter, let alone that she's his. We haven't seen each other since before she was born."

"Okay. Could it have been Danny or Hawkes or Sid? Or Mac?" he asked. She shook her head, tears threatening to overflow again. "It's okay, we'll find her," he said soothingly, taking her into his arms.

"I know I shouldn't have called you, I know you're homicide, but-"

"It doesn't matter," Flack cut her off. "What's her name?"

"Kenzie, Mackenzie Bonasera," Stella replied, wiping her eyes again.

"Right, the best thing for you to do is go home. I'll talk to the staff here, find out if they have CCTV. I'll get a couple of the guys to help me out, send on of them over for whatever you CSIs need for missing persons cases. DNA or whatever. And Stella, I promise we will find her."

XOXOXOX

"Danny."

"Hey Stel," he said, wrapping his arms around his friend. "It's good to see you again. Wish it was under better circumstances though."

"Me too," Stella said into his shoulder.

"Right then, do you have a hairbrush or toothbrush so I can collect a sample of Kenzie's DNA?" Danny asked.

"Uh, yeah," Stella replied. "Her bedroom's through that door, turn right and straight ahead. Brush is on the dresser. I'll get her toothbrush."

Danny followed Stella's directions and found himself in a room not dissimilar to Lucy's. The walls were purple, with fairy lights and lilac chiffon material around the bed to make it like a princess's, a dressing table under the window and mirrored wardrobe doors at the other end of the room. On the walls there were Disney Princess posters - like in Lucy's room - and some pictures of Stella and who he guessed was Kenzie. He found the brush where Stella said, and to his delight, a hair with a skin tag attached.

"Boom," he grinned quietly.

"Here's her toothbrush," Stella said.

"Thanks." Danny bagged it, and the hair. "Do you have a picture of Kenzie I can use? Cause Flack wants to put it out as amber alert ASAP."

"Yeah," Stella nodded, heading back into the living room. "This was taken just before we left New Orleans."

The girl in the picture looked like Stella, same tight curls, only dark brown, same facial bone structure. She was a beautiful little girl.

"How old is she?" he asked.

"Three and a half," Stella replied, hugging her arms around her.

"Stell, I promise we'll find her."

"That's what Flack said."

"See? Must be true. Great minds think alike." Which caused Stella to laugh and left Danny feeling even more pleased with himself.

XOXOXOX

"Okay Montana, fess up. Did you know?"

Lindsey looked at her husband as though he'd officially gone mad.

"Know what?"

"Know about Stella."

"Know about Stella what?" Lindsey asked, still confused.

"Well that she's back in New York for a start."

"Since when?"

"Like, two weeks ago," Danny replied.

"She never mentioned it in her e-mails."

"Okay then, did you know she has a kid?"

"What? No, of course not! Why wouldn't I tell you if Stella had a kid?"

"I don't know, but she does. A daughter, called Kenzie. And she's missing."

"Missing?" Lindsey echoed, imagining how it would feel to not know where Lucy or Noah was.

"Yeah," Danny nodded gravely. "Looks like she was kidnapped." 

"Oh my gosh. Have you any leads?"

"Flack and Hawkes are checking CCTV, and the guy used an ID but it's probably fake."

"Good luck," she said, squeezing his hand.

Danny scanned the picture of Kenzie into the computer, then attached it to the e-mail and sending it and the details of her disappearance to the news networks. Her story would be broadcast on the next news update, and every one after that until she was found.

"Guess what? The CCTV is broken," Hawkes announced.

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Been down for the last three weeks."

"And Kenzie only started about a week ago. And our kidnapper probably knew this."

"Karen Davies, who runs the place, couldn't remember the name from the ID," Hawkes continued. "She said she _might_ be able to ID him if she saw him, but she wasn't sure. Flack sent over a sketch artist just in case. We also got a list of the other children, Flack's talking to the parents to see if they saw anything."

"Is it just me man, or is there something hinky about all this?" Danny asked. "I mean, you know Stella. It's a pretty safe bet that she taught her daughter about stranger danger and all that. So why would the kid go and not put up a fuss?"

"You're right," Hawkes agreed. "Karen Davies said that Mackenzie didn't put up any fuss. In fact she almost seemed to want to go."

"Well I've never met Kenzie, but Lucy can be a nightmare if you want her to do something she doesn't like. And if Kenzie's anything like her mom..."

"There's no way you're going to force her to do something she doesn't want," Hawkes finished.

"Exactly."

"So how do you make a three year old do what you want?"

"Bribery?" Danny suggested.

"Enough to make her go with a stranger when her mom told her not to?"

"You're right," Danny sighed.

XOXOXOX

"Hey," Jo smiled, knocking lightly on Mac's office door.

"Hey," he replied, looking up.

"DNA results," she said, handing him the report. "Mona's DNA matches the hair found at the scene. She did it."

"There's no motive," Mac argued. "Why would she kill her boyfriend?"

"I don't know, maybe he was sleeping around. Bring her in and confront her with the evidence."

"You do it," he said after a pause.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you've worked hardest on this case, you do it."

"Thanks," Jo replied, slightly stunned. She'd worked hard, but no harder than Mac or Lindsey.

As she turned to leave the room, she glanced at the ABC news report on the muted TV. The headline read: _MISSING CHILD IN NYC. SUSPECTED KIDNAPPING_.

"That must be Danny and Hawkes' case," she commented.

"They don't have a case," Mac replied.

"Well I saw them five minutes ago and they said they were working a suspected kidnapping with Flack."

"Why would Flack work a kidnapping? He's homicide," he frowned.

"I don't know, I'm only repeating what they said," she shrugged. "I'll see you after the interview."

Mac picked up the remote and turned up the volume.

"-took her from Los Ninos Daycare. NYPD is currently investigating. Anyone with any information about the disappearance of Mackenzie Bonasera should contact NYPD on..."

Couldn't be. There had to be lots of people out there with the surname Bonasera. New York had a large Italian community, surely there were people out there with the surname Bonasera, right? But the little girl in the picture had the same curly hair as Stella, albeit a darker brown.

"Hey Danny, how's it going?" Mac asked.

"It's not," Danny replied. "We have a sketch of our suspect, but it might not be correct because she can't really remember, we have no prints, no DNA and no idea why anyone would want to kidnap Kenzie. Except as revenge against Stella cause she put them away." That answered one question then. "And do you know how many cases Stella's successfully closed?"

"A lot?"

"A lot," Danny confirmed. "So all we can do is run own the last knowns of these perps while a little girl is missing, with some asshole doing God only knows what to her."

"Take a break," Mac said. "Order, not a suggestion. Our case looks like it's almost closed. Lindsay can start to work your case, and if Jo's interview gives us what we need, then we'll join you."

"I'm sorry Mac," Danny sighed, scrubbing his face with his hands. "It's just this case. If it can happen to Stella then..."

"I know," Mac said, squeezing the younger man's shoulder.

"I mean, we didn't even know she had a kid. What a crap way to find out."

"Take that break now," Mac ordered. "Then come back and find the guy who did this."

"Yes sir."

XOXOXOX

All she could do was wait. That was the hardest part. She knew what Danny and Hawkes would be doing right now, knew the steps they would be taking. That probably made it even harder. She knew what needed to be done, and how to do it, but she _couldn't_ do it. Stella paced her apartment, then collapsed down on the couch and grabbed a newspaper. She flicked through a few pages, not taking in anything then threw it down again. She stared into space for a few minutes until her eyes fell on the print of her and Kenzie, then she'd jump up again and start pacing.

Mac hesitated outside Stella's door. Jo had called - sounding slightly too smug he'd thought - to tell him that she was right, and that their case was closed. He'd made finding Stella's daughter the top priority for the lab. All other cases could wait. But that wasn't why he was here. He stood and stared at the door, willing himself to knock.

"_I guess this is goodbye then."_

"_I love you."_

"_The flight's boarding now sir."_

It wasn't as though they'd parted badly. If you looked at it one way they'd parted on great terms. But they hadn't. Technically they hadn't even said goodbye. And whenever they'd sent each other Christmas or birthday cards, neither had mentioned what had happened. He guessed Stella wanted to forget. The problem was he couldn't. And wouldn't. He knocked on the door. He could hear steps approach from the other side. The door opened and he wrapped his arms around Stella, exactly the same way as she had over ten years ago when Claire died.


	2. Nothing

Stella clung to him, burying her face into the crook of his neck, breathing in the smell that was just so uniquely Mac and so familiar, glad that for a few minutes she wasn't going through this alone.

"The whole lab's working on finding her," Mac said once they were sitting on the couch. "We will find her Stella."

"I know. It's just...hard, sitting here and waiting for news when I know exactly what you're all doing. And knowing I'm not allowed to help." She sighed. "Do you want a coffee?"

"Sure," he replied.

As he waited for Stella to return, Mac surveyed the room, his instincts as a CSI taking over. The couch he was sitting on faced the windows, behind it was the door. The TV sat on the sideboard below the windows, a low table between the couch and sideboard. To his left was the kitchen, to his right a door which he assumed led to the bedrooms. On the wall to the left of the door, above a second sideboard, hung a print of Stella and Kenzie. He couldn't help but smile. The two of them looked so happy and carefree. It was clear to see that Stella loved Kenzie, and equally clear that Kenzie adored her mom. He wondered where her father was; according to Flack he didn't know he had a daughter with Stella.

"Here," Stella said, handing him a mug and sitting down next to him again. She noticed him taking in the apartment. "It's small, I know. I spend a lot on Kenzie. But she's worth it," she added with a small smile. _I could believe that,_ Mac thought before reaching out and squeezing Stella's hand again.

XOXOXOX

Since Karen Davies wasn't sure enough about their kidnapper's face, Danny had resorted to comparing the sketch the old fashioned way. Well, technically it was a hybrid method, comparing the sketch in front of him to the pictures of the computer. He'd managed to reduce the number of files by eliminating the criminals that were still in prison, but he was still left with hundreds of cases. Granted, Lindsey was also working through some, but it was still going to take forever without any other evidence. And time was something they didn't have.

"Are you getting anywhere?" he asked.

"No. You got anything?" Lindsey replied.

"Square eyes," Danny muttered, slipping his fingers under his glasses to rub his eyes.

"Huh?"

"Nothing," he sighed. "I got nothing. All day and still, I've got nothing."

"Come on," Lindsey said, shutting down her computer and moving to his side. "Let's go home. You know how cranky night shift gets when we're not gone in time," she teased. Danny managed a tired smile. "Let's go see Lucy and Noah," Lindsey said quietly, rubbing his arm. Danny nodded. Seeing his daughter and baby boy sounded pretty good right about now.

"Are you planning on going home tonight?" Jo asked, standing in the doorway of Mac's office. He gave her a look. "Ask a silly question... There's nothing more you can do here."

"I promised Stella I'd find her daughter Jo. I'm not about to break my word," Mac replied. "I won't let Kenzie join those folders on the corner of my desk."

"She won't," Jo said, walking up to his desk. She picked up the picture of Kenzie and studied it. "She's beautiful."

"Yeah," Mac smiled.

"How old is she?" Jo asked, knowing full well.

"Three and a half years," he replied.

"That's nearly as long as I've been here," she observed.

"You looking for a medal?"

"No," she replied, rolling her eyes. How could Mac not see what was staring him in the face? All his skills as an investigator and still he couldn't see the obvious. "Go home Mac. Eat, sleep, watch crappy TV, order take out, just get out of the lab. Fresh eyes will help you see new evidence."

XOXOXOX

Stella couldn't sleep. She'd tried, and failed, and knew there was no way on this earth that she was going to go to sleep tonight. The clock blinking 00.16am, she pulled on sweats and a camisole, then grabbed her robe. Grabbing a mug of hot chocolate, she settled down on the couch. Turning on the TV, it lit up the whole room as the DVD loaded.

"Mommy watch!" Kenzie's voice rang out, causing tears to spring to Stella's eyes. The camera wobbled and spun around until it focused on Kenzie in their New Orleans living room.

"I see you baby," Stella's voice called from off camera. Satisfied that she had her mom's full attention, Kenzie resumed dancing around the coffee table, singing along to the radio. Except she didn't know any of the lyrics, so they were all nonsense words, or if she did come out with a line, it ended up being the wrong one.

"Mom, come and dance," Kenzie commanded.

"Okay, I'm coming," Stella replied.

The clip ended, leaving Stella with tears in her eyes, and a smile on her face.

XOXOXOX

The silence in his apartment seemed deafening. Apart from the muffled sounds of the traffic and a distant siren, there was nothing. The beeping of the microwave broke it as he re-heated the leftovers of last night's take out, not in the mood to bother with cooking, but Mac preferred to keep the silence. Jo had thrown him out of the lab, if he'd argued she would've physically dragged him out, so now he was alone with only his thoughts. Sometimes, when a case was bugging him, he would sit and play guitar until his fingers threatened to bleed, which - considering how long he'd played guitar - was a long time. But tonight he didn't feel like it. He simply sat and made his way slowly through the leftover Chinese, thinking about Stella, and Kenzie, and the case, and Stella, and the lack of evidence, and Stella, and possible motive, and Stella...


	3. Waiting

"Daddy, wake _up_!"

Danny was brought back to consciousness by a sharp tug at his elbow. Groaning softly he opened his eyes, focusing slowly on his five year old daughter standing by his bed.

"What is it Lucy?" he asked groggily. She grabbed his hand and tugged it.

"Follow me," she whispered, before glancing over him at Lindsey, then back. Putting a finger to her lips she added, "Shhh!"

Carefully, Danny sat up, glancing at Lindsey to make sure she was still asleep, then allowed Lucy to drag him out of the room, just managing to grab his glasses. For a five year old, Lucy was surprisingly strong. She pulled him through to the kitchen.

"We're going to make mommy breakfast," she informed him.

"Okay boss, what're we making?" he smiled. Lucy's face scrunched up into a deep frown as she considered her options. Which, considering she was only five, weren't that wide.

"Beans on toast," she eventually announced.

"Beans on toast it is," he agreed. "Beans first or toast?"

"Toast?" Lucy suggested. He nodded. Grinning she skipped over to the freezer, waiting for Danny to open it.

"Third drawer," he whispered.

He lifted her up so she could slot the three slices of bread into the toaster and push down the lever.

"Now beans?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied, ruffling her hair slightly.

"Daddy!" she whined, her grin betraying her.

"What?" he replied innocently, grabbing the can opener from the top drawer.

When the shrill beep of the alarm woke her, Lindsey was surprised to find Danny missing from bed. He would do anything for an extra few minutes of sleep whereas she was more likely to be up with the dawn chorus. Unless of course...

Lucy.

_Speak of the devil_ she thought, as the sound of Lucy giggling reached her. Grabbing a jumper, Lindsey padded through to the kitchen, looking for her husband and daughter, Lucy's giggles getting louder. By now she could hear Danny too, teasing and joking with Lucy. Lindsey smiled softly. How could she ever have thought Danny wouldn't be a good father? He was amazing with Lucy, she was his little princess. Lindsey wondered if Kenzie had anyone to call her princess; Flack had told them that her father wasn't involved. She tried to push thoughts of the case and what Stella must be going through from her mind. She had a couple more hours before they returned to the nightmare. She didn't want it tainting her time with her family.

"Mommy, look," Lucy said proudly, spying her mother. "I-"

"Hey!' Danny injected.

"_We_ made breakfast," Lucy corrected. "But it was my idea," she added, reminding Lindsey oh so much of Danny. Again.

XOXOXOX

After another morning of nothing, Mac headed over to Stella's apartment. Not just because he wanted to see her, but because he was worried. He couldn't imagine not knowing where your child was and if they were okay, but from all the missing children cases he'd worked over the years, he knew the wait for news must be agonising, and to go through it alone must be even worse.

When she opened the door, Stella looked at him hopefully, praying that he was here with good news. As soon as she looked in his eyes she knew. Kenzie was still missing. He shook his head slowly and she seemed to visibly deflate before his eyes. Mac hugged her, one hand resting on the back of her neck as she slipped her arms around his waist.

"We're still looking," he assured her.

"Mac, I was a cop too remember? I know the chances. It's over twenty four hours. And after forty eight she's probably dead."

"Don't think like that!"

"It's true though."

Mac didn't mention the dark circles under her eyes that indicated she'd gotten no sleep, however, knowing Stella, there was one thing he wasn't going to let slide.

"Have you eaten recently?"

"No," she admitted. There was no point in lying, they knew each other far too well. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, knowing that it wasn't the time for him to chide her for not eating, after all they'd all done it. He was pretty sure Lindsey was probably forcibly dragging Danny out of the lab right now to get something to eat, either that or smuggling in food to him. They'd all skipped meals during big cases.

If he'd asked her if she was hungry, Stella would've denied it. However, as soon as the aromas from the kitchen reached her nose, Stella's stomach began to rumble loudly.

"You didn't have to do this," she said fifteen minutes later as Mac put a steaming plate of pasta down in front of her.

"You wouldn't have eaten otherwise," he pointed out. "It won't help anyone if you pass out from hunger," he added. Stella's mouth was too full of pasta to object, besides, she'd always been taught that it was rude to talk with your mouth full. She suddenly had an overwhelming urge to tell Mac, to explain everything, to tell him who Kenzie's father was and why she'd never told him. But she couldn't, not until she knew Kenzie was okay. _I promise if Kenzie comes out of this alive and in one piece I'll tell him_, she said silently. _Nothing could be worse than this anyway_.

Mac sat across from Stella as she ate, watching a range of emotions playing across her face. Whatever she was thinking about, it was important and she obviously had conflicting feelings about it. He didn't ask though. Instinct told him that she thought she had hidden it, and he didn't want to pressure her into telling him. She had enough on her plate at the moment, without him adding to it. Once she finished, he insisted on taking the plate from her and washing it himself. When he finished, he found Stella asleep on the couch, exhaustion finally catching up with her. Mac smiled at how peaceful she looked, the worry lines from the past two days gone. He carefully manoeuvred a cushion under her head and pulled the blanket off the back of the ouch and covered her with it. He paused to brush a strand of hair back off her face, before bending and lightly brushing his lips over her forehead, ignoring the sudden flashbacks that bombarded him from four years ago.


	4. Leads

It was all Jo's fault. She'd suggested he go through some of these reports to pass the time until a lead came up. Said anything was better than just sitting waiting. Promised that time would fly by. He should've known. Reports never made time fly by.

The phone on his desk rang, breaking the silence.

"Taylor," Mac answered.

"Come and find me daddy!" a little girl's voice sing-songed. Mac frowned.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"It's me. Come and find me!"

"Where are you?" Mac asked, trying a different angle.

"You have to find me daddy. It's like hide and seek. I'm hiding and you have to find me. Hurry before time runs out!"

Then he was left listening to the dialling tone. Mac stared at the handset for a moment, confused, before hanging up and leaving his office. This obviously had something to do with Kenzie, there were no other missing children cases right now. But what did the call mean?

"Adam, I need you to trace the last number that called my desk phone," Mac said.

"Sure. What's up Mac?" Adam replied, beginning to type.

"I don't know," Mac replied honestly.

"Okay... The call came from a disposable cell phone..." Adam explained. "I can keep a trace on it, and if it makes another call try and trace it. 

"Do it," Mac ordered.

XOXOXOX

"It doesn't make sense," Mac frowned.

"Which part?" Jo asked.

"The whole phone call. The daddy come and find me. Why phone me and not Stella?" he asked. Jo didn't reply. She had her own theories, however she wasn't about to tell Mac. She wanted him to figure it out on his own. She opened her mouth to reply when Mac's phone rang again. Their eyes met. Jo nodded.

"I'll tell Adam," she said. Mac hesitated, then picked up the handset.

"Taylor."

"Hello detective." A man's voice.

"Who is this?"

"Looking for your little girl?"

"I don't have a little girl," Mac replied. The man laughed.

"She's a pretty one. Like her mother. Very pretty... Don't you agree?" There was something in his tone of voice that made Mac's blood boil, especially to hear him talk about Stella that way.

"Where is she?" he asked. "Where's Mackenzie?"

"You figure it out detective." Then the line went dead.

Mac hurried through the corridors to Adam's lab. He looked at Adam and Jo hopefully. Jo shook her head.

"Two more seconds," Adam groaned. 

"Damn," Mac muttered.

"Was it the little girl again?" Adam asked. Mac shook his head.

"He talked to me this time. Nothing useful. I recorded the conversation. Adam see if you can isolate anything in the background that gives us a clue to where he is. And give a copy to Danny so he can compare his voice to any possible suspects."

"You okay?" Jo asked quietly as they walked through the lab's corridors.

"I don't know..." Mac sighed. "This case is really getting to me. It's personal, because Stella's my best friend, and I look at her and I can see that if we don't find Kenzie, it'll kill her. She's falling apart and I can't help her." Jo squeezed his shoulder.

"We'll find her," she said.

"That's what I keep telling Stella. But there more time that passes... The less I believe it."

XOXOXOX

Danny skidded as he tried to turn into Mac's office at full speed.

"I gotta boom!" he announced breathlessly. It took a moment for Mac to realise what Danny was talking about.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I compared the phone call to the tape of an interview with one of the guys who looks pretty close to the sketch we got. I isolated seven words and compared them. It's a 99.98% match!"

"Who?" Mac asked.

"Michael Ulster, GBH eight years ago, you and Stella investigated. Ulster got out on parole a few months ago."

"Address?"

"Got it."

"Warrant?"

"Flack's getting it and meeting us there."

"Let's go."

XOXOXOX

Mac sent Danny and Hawkes around to the back entrance, while Flack followed him through the front.

"We take Ulster alive," Mac ordered before they split up. "We need him to find Kenzie."

Mac held up three fingers, then counted down before signalling to Flack. They burst through the door and began searching for Ulster.

"NYPD, freeze!" Flack yelled, catching sight of someone walking away from them. "Freeze!" he repeated. They didn't stop. "Freeze dammit!" he yelled. Michael Ulster turned, pulling out his gun and pointed it straight at Mac and Flack.

"How's this?" he asked. Gun pointed at guns. Eyes staring into eyes.

"Drop the gun," Flack said slowly.

"Let me think about that... No," Ulster replied.

"Where's Mackenzie Bonasera?" Mac asked.

"It's a secret," Ulster laughed.

"This isn't a game Ulster, you're going back to prison for a very long time unless you tell us where Mackenzie Bonasera is right now," Flack warned.

"Ooh, I'm scared!" Ulster laughed again. "It's such a shame, isn't it Detective Taylor, that children always have to pay for their parents choices. It's true what they say, about children paying for the sins of their fathers."

"Last chance, where is she?" Mac asked.

"You know what? I don't want to play anymore." Ulster removed the safety catch. He fired, and a spilt second later, Mac and Flack fired back. Another split second, and Danny and Hawkes fired from behind. Ulster fell to the ground.

"Call the paramedics," Flack ordered. Mac crouched by Ulster's already still body.

"Don't bother," he said. "He's gone."

Danny swore, and Flack hit the wall in anger. Mac stared at Ulster's face. If he'd harmed Kenzie in any way, Mac would personally find a way to bring him back to life, just so he could kill him again. The ringing of his cell phone broke through the tense silence.

"Taylor."

"That good, huh?" Jo said.

"What've you got?" he asked, too tired and pissed off to care.

"Ulster was renting another property, downtown. Do you want the address?"

"Sure."

"What's up?" Flack asked as Mac stood up.

"Ulster started renting a building downtown about a month ago," Mac replied. "Hawkes, you process here, Flack make sure Mackenzie isn't somewhere in this building. Danny, you and I will check out his other place."

XOXOXOX

The warrant in his pocket, Mac opened the door and he and Danny slipped inside quietly. Immediately they were greeted by two corridors going off in opposite directions.

"What now?" Danny asked.

"You take right, I'll go left," Mac replied. Danny nodded before starting down the right corridor slowly, checking in every door. Mac did the same to the left. The building was some sort of old school or college, unused for years, dust layering the desks and chairs. Mac kept the safety catch off his gun. There was no evidence to point to anyone being here, but he didn't want to take that risk. He opened another door and looked around the room. Another classroom. He was about to leave when some instinct made him look around again. This time he noticed the door at the back of the room. Moving slowly between the desks, Mac noticed footprints in the dust. Recent footprints. He opened the door, shining his torch around the storage cupboard. He heard a muffled sob from the corner and swung the torch around until it fell on a small girl with Stella curls, crouched on the floor. Mac quickly holstered his gun and crouched down next to her.

"Hey," he smiled. "Is your name Kenzie?" She stared at him fearfully. "I'm Mac, I'm a friend of your mom's, I'm going to take you home."

"I can't," she whispered. "He said he'd hurt my mommy if I didn't go with him."

"He can't hurt you anymore Kenzie, I promise." Mac pulled out his cell phone. "Danny, I've got her. Finish checking your side, then finish this side. I'm taking Kenzie home."

Mac returned his cell phone to his pocket and reached out to pick Kenzie up. Her small arms slipped around his neck and held onto him tightly and Mac tried to ignore the mixture of emotions it stirred in him. Outside, he met the paramedics he'd called on the off chance that Kenzie was there. Although she was reluctant to let go, Kenzie allowed them to check her over, but Mac had to stay with her. Which he was more than happy to do.

"Kenzie, did he... Did he hurt you at all?" Mac asked, unsure of how to phrase the question to a three year old.

"He pushed me and I fell over. And he held my arm really tight," she replied, pointing to the finger shaped bruises on her upper arm.

"Did he do anything else? Anything at all?"

"No," she shook her head. Mac studied her face carefully then relaxed, certain she was telling him the truth.

XOXOXOX

Outside it was getting dark. Not that the city was getting any quieter. If anything it seemed to becoming more alive. Stella wandered through her apartment listlessly. Kenzie had been gone fifty hours and thirty minutes. Every instinct she'd developed as a CSI told her that she wasn't coming back. Her maternal instinct refused to believe it.

She hadn't turned the lights on, and as a result her apartment was in near darkness, except for the lights from the street which came through the windows. As she walked into the leg on the table, stubbing her little toe, she cursed. She crossed the room and flicked on the light switch. Maybe TV would help. She could find something that didn't take any concentration, and maybe it would distract her long enough that she could forget that her baby was missing. However, before she made it to the couch, the doorbell rang. Stella sighed. It would probably be Mac or Lindsay or Flack or someone to make sure that she was taking care of herself. Right now, she didn't want to see anyone.

She opened the door and, as she'd suspected, Mac was outside. However, Stella ceased to notice him as soon as she saw her daughter in his arms.

"Kenzie!"

"Mommy!" Stella held her daughter tightly.

"Oh baby, I was so worried! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"The man pushed me and held my arm really tight but Mac came and found me and said that he couldn't hurt me no more and he was gonna take me home to you," Kenzie replied into her mother's hair. At the mention of his name Stella remembered Mac. But when she opened her eyes and removed them from Kenzie's hair, he was gone.


	5. Pieces

"Kenzie!"

"Mommy!" Kenzie reached out towards Stella, who eagerly took her daughter into her arms, pressing her face into her daughter's hair. Mac smiled at the sight. It was the first time he'd seen mother and daughter together. But it also stirred up a mixture of emotions, like it had when Kenzie wrapped her arms around his neck. Emotions he wasn't quite sure he wanted to face. He knew Kenzie was safe now, and that Stella would be fine now she had her daughter back, and since he was of no real relation to them, he decided to leave them in peace and let them recover. So as Kenzie replied to her mom's questions, he walked away quietly.

XOXOXOX

"Hey." Mac looked up. Jo was leaning in the doorway of his office. "You okay?"

"Fine," he replied. She raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"I'm fine. Really," he smiled.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, waving over her shoulder before she got into the elevator.

Mac stared at his computer screen, not really seeing it. He was too busy thinking. They still had to process everything from both scenes. There were still pieces of the puzzle which didn't make sense. Like the first phone call. Especially the first phone call.

"_Come and find me daddy!... You have to find me daddy... Hurry before time runs out!"_

**XOXOXOX**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed or favourited this story, especially oliya who has reviewed every chapter.**

**But fear not! This is not the end. Just the end of this part. Part 2, imaginatively called With You, is coming soon. In fact I may even upload chapter 1 tomorrow...**

**Christina x**


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